Costa del Sol We got up at 4:30 am so we could drive to Centa to catch the boat to Algeciras. Once in Algeciras, we decided to try driving across to Gilbratar instead of going by ferry. We got past the first gate but they got us at the second and sent us back. We pleaded and cried, but our pleas were ignored. So back we went, but not to Algeciras. We were determined not to spend another night there. We asked the police on the traffic island between La Linea, Algeciras and La Roque for a recommendation. Then we went to Algeciras to catch the ferry to Gibraltar. We got there, picked up Pat’s watch and went to American Express to get our luggage. It was a bit later than we had planned and we had to hustle to the ferry. We got there and the taxi driver charged us 90 pesetas rather than the regular charge of 30. We had to pay or miss our boat. We had a terrible time getting our stuff on the ferry. It was 6:45 and every Spaniard who lived in Algeceras and worked in Gibraltar was going home. Not one of them offered to help. They just stood there on the deck and laughed as we struggled up the steps It was crowded, cold and windy but we had to remain on deck When we got off, we had to again have our passports stamped and go through customs. Of course they wanted to go through everything. He really thought he had found something important in one of the laundry bags. It was wrapped in white paper and quite heavy. He unwrapped it to find a jar of apricot marmalade. He quickly wrapped it and returned it to the bag, then didn’t bother going through our second suitcases. We headed back to our pension to repack. About 8pm our landlady came over and wanted us to come to her room where it was warm. She had coffee and good little cakes for us. We spent the entire evening with her chatting in a combination of Spanish, English and sign language.
0 Comments
We decided to run errands and sight see and so we headed first for the Sultan's Palace. On the way we did a little shopping and we noticed a boy across the street who had been in the shop. He came over and told us that the palace was the other way and he would show us. We told him that we were sorry, but we had no money. It turned out that he didn’t want money. He was a student and only wanted to practice his English. So off we went. We didn’t see much of the palace because it was closed but we did get to see a snake charmer. Along the way we asked him about the Moroccan marijuana rumor. He told us that it was called Kif in Morocco and it was forbidden by law. But he said that he knew a place where we could go and try some that evening and also have Morrocan tea - all for nothing because his friend worked there and we could borrow their pipes. We didn’t anticipate it to be true but we said we would go. Reading this now – 48 years later – I am appalled at how foolish we were. Three young girls going into a Moraccan souk after dark to some random shop to smoke an illegal substance. What were we thinking?!!! Did you read Midnight Express? That could have been us! It was then 2 pm and he had to go back to school. At 7:15, we met him at our hotel and went into the medina quarter of the city to the shop. There were three men there - a man between 50 -60 who owned the shop, another who just sat there and smoked and a younger man. Mohammad took us in, got some chairs for us and left. We were really nervous. The owner spoke English and told us of all the famous people he had done business with – Anthony Quinn and President Kennedy’s father to mention a few. Then Mohammed came back with the Kif and proceeded to show us how it was done. Each of us bought a pipe and a package of Kif – all for 5 DH $1.00. The stuff looked like ground up hay and even smelled like it. We smoked it in cigarettes by taking part of the tobacco out and replacing it with the kif. The shop owner informed us that our eyes were changing color and that he could see it happening. We told him that he had smoked too much and was seeing things. At that point, Mohammad decided to take us to another shop where he brought out some Hashish which is eaten rather than smoked. It was moist and in a lump like chewing tobacco. It had a very strong odor like gingerbread and even tasted like it. Then we started home. We were sure that none of this had had much of an effect on us. But we did notice that our feet felt very heavy – we walked all the way home in slow motion. Volubilis We drove from Fes to Moulay Idris which is off the main road. It is a holy city where a great ruler is buried. Non Muslims are not allowed in the city after sundown. From there we drove five more kilometers to Volubilis which is an excavation of an ancient Roman city. Marble statues, mosaic tiled floors, engraved tombstones, columns, arches foundations and parts of floors and walls. It was surprising to find them out there in the middle of nowhere. From there we went to Rabat to get a picture of the Tower of Hassan and then to Tangier. Just before we got to Kinitra, a policeman popped out of a grubby little store and blew his whistle at us. We turned around and went back. He informed us in French that we were going too fast and it would cost 10 dirhams – 2 dollars - and we should pay him right then. He took Pat’s license but we refused to pay and this shocked him. He said that we had to wait 30 minutes and move the car to the other side of the road. Then another policeman came over and told us to drive back across the road. He chatted awhile and discovered that we were tourists and not military and he let us go into the store to get a coke. The first policeman came back to see what was going on and the older one gave him holy hell over the 10 Dirums. He walked over with a hang dog look on his face and returned the driver’s license. We drove on to Tangier We left Meknes about 8 arrived in Fes at 9 and went to the tourist bureau ended up finding a hotel on our own. Fes is in a beautiful place, nestled in amid the hills with greenery and olive groves. We drove around the city up in the hills to see the panorama. Fes has the largest Medina of all the cities in Morocco and we were cautioned not to go in without a guide. Just inside the gate we were approached by a nice looking man who said he would show us the Kairouyine mosque and Bou Inania Madrasa. We really expected him to take us straight there and back. But soon we were on little side streets and he was showing us how things were made. He also stopped at various shops along the way and let us look. We went then to the University of Al-Karaouine to see the courtyard and up to see some of the rooms. From the very top of the building in it is possible to see inside the Kairouyine mosque where non Muslims are forbidden. What a beautiful place. The interior has 116 columns. Beautiful carved wood and stucco and the tile that we had seen in the Bahia palace. We stopped for Maroc tea but our guide didn’t join us since it is Ramadan and they cannot eat between 5:30 am to 6pm. He did come up and chat with us and pour orange water over our heads. He filled his fes about half full and put it on his head. He was really a nice guy and began to chat with us. We found that they still practice polygomy but the poor do only if their first wife doesn’t have children. The rich can have four wives if they can afford it. The Sultan can have as many as he wishes. Our guide informed me that his mother had chosen his wife for him in accord with the old customs but that many of the young were now courting and choosing on their own. We drove to Meknes At first the ground was barren and dry then the fields began to get greener and we began to see fields where wheat was planted. Near the mountains we found an area that was irrigated - big fields, tractors and more expensive looking houses. Then we passed into a poorer area again where the houses were built of mud and sticks around open court yards. Today we ventured into the souks after going to the bank to get our money in small denominations. First we went to the shoe section. About that time we picked up a guide who informed us that we could get them for a lot less if we waited for the auction in the afternoon. Then he said that in another part of the shoe souk we could get them even cheaper. So off we went with him. From the shoe souks, we went to look at the Arab robes called Djellabas. We bargained here and there without much luck. After visiting several shops and much haggling we bought three for 33 DH apiece. From there we went to look for copper plates. It was a good thing we had a guide because we didn't know our way around and it would have been impossible for us to carry all of our stuff. We went first to the Koutoubia Mosque, built by the Almoravids at the end of the 11th century. Gigantic and impressive. From there we walked down into the souk district and to the Bahia Palace, built at the end of the 19th century. It is beautiful and very ornate with tile mosaics and wood. The ceiling in each room was different and each a work of art. There were dining rooms, study type rooms, the room of the Sultans favorite, rooms for other members of his harem, gardens and a great open court with a tile floor and a fountain in the middle where the Sultan’s harem relaxed. It is a multitude of spaces, each with a beauty of its own. Later we looked for the Saadian Tombs and found that our map was wrong. These are the tombs of the Saddian rulers, their families and concubines. We stopped and asked a policeman but we couldn’t understand him. The next thing we knew, he grabbed a little boy who was walking by and shoved him in the back seat. If you think we are sometimes afraid of them, you should have seen this little boy in the car with us! We found the tombs and then drove him back where we got him. He didn’t know what was going on until we stopped and gave him a dirham and let him out. He went skipping merrily off probably to tell his friends what had happened. Then we went back to the tombs. Much of the exterior and interior design was like that of the palace. We couldn’t go in because they are in a mosque but we could drive out to see the artificial lake and its lovely pavilion amid the olive groves and more gardens stretching for miles and miles and surrounded by the wall extending from the old city. The background for all of this is the snow clad Atlas mountains. We then went to the terrace of the Renaissance Hotel. It was lovely and warm and from there it was possible to view the entire city with the palm groves on the outside and red buildings on the inside. Just beautiful. We weren't staying at the Renaissance - our hotel was a little less expensive. We stayed at the Hotel de Foucald. Camels on way to Marrakesh We left Casablanca early heading for Marrakesh. The country was very flat and not as interesting But we saw some camels, donkeys, sheep and goats all together beside the road and decided to get out and take a picture. Judy was in the process of snapping it when two young boys and an older herder started running toward us. Believe me we got in the car in a hurry. Just as the car was shifting into 3rd several more converged on us from out of nowhere. They were right in the road and two of them stood right in front of the car to stop it. Pat put her hand on the horn and blew it until we were right on top of them. They jumped out of the way when we were almost to them. But lord knows what would have happened if we had stopped. Maybe they were friendly but they didn't look like it. I am glad we didn’t find out. It was really terrifying, especially since we can’t lock the left door from the inside. Marrakesh and Atlas Mountains Marrakesh is a lovely place. It is made of red buildings and quite a contrast to the white of the other towns we have seen. This afternoon we wandered into the old city and through the maze of souks. Here, as in Tangiers, everyone wants you to come in and look with the same “How much is it?” “Too much” “How much will you pay?” in operation. Tomorrow is Friday, so the shops will be closed. But Saturday we plan to go and buy souveniers. I hope we are convincing enough to get what we want at close to our price. Flooded road on the way to Casablanca Drove to Casablanca via Kenitra (where the largest US military installation in Morocco is located) and Rabat the capital. Casablanca is very industrial with a large port. In Tangiers, almost everyone wore long garments with hoods called “Djellabas”. Most of the women were veiled in Tangiers. In Casablanca very few are. Tomorrow we are on to Marrakesh. The drive here was treacherous. Morocco has had very heavy rains and many floods. Part of the road was flooded out in one area. Every river was overflowing onto the farm land. Many fields were completely obliterated and others had much water standing. Most of the women we saw were barefooted and carrying heavy loads. One of the saddest sights we saw was a little boy of 9 or 10 walking behind a group of other children obviously returning from school. But he wasn’t because he was dressed in rags and had a huge sack on his back that was as big as he was. He was bending under the load and never once looked up from the ground. Drove from Centa to Tangier by way of Tan-tan. Interesting drive as we passed through areas that had had a lot of rain. In this region the women wear red and white candy striped material. We found the Hotel Maroc in Tangiers without any trouble. It is a nice hotel. Got settled and went exploring. We headed for the old city, the market and the Sultan's Palace. We were approached by many people wanting to guide us through the Kasbah of the old city and show us their brother’s shop. There you can buy everything you can imagine including Morrocan leather goods and metal work. We’d never seen so many things we wanted to buy and never so many people with missing limbs and eyes. To buy something you have to barter. The rules are that you ask the price of something and then say it’s too much. Then they ask how much you will pay and you counter. Eventually a sale is made or you just walk away. After wandering for hours we finally found our way out and went to the American consulate to get some information. From there we went back to the hotel and had dinner at 8pm. First we had a delicious soup call Harira, then couscous which is made with semolina (ground wheat rolled in egg – very fine, small and round - as a base. On top of that was chicken with garbanzo beans and what looked like fried onions but wasn’t. For dessert we had Chebakia, a deep fried and sugar glazed pastry. To top it all off, we had Moroccan tea – a wonderful, very sweet, mint tea. |
A daily diary of a journey in 1962. Please post comments about where you were then on the Background page.
1962 was pivotal. This is the background:
It was a year colored by the Cuban Missile Crisis, an escalating involvement in Vietnam, the Berlin Wall and the Cold War with Russia, Civil Rights issues, a nascent space program, Nelson Mandela in prison, Betty Friedan's, The Feminist Mystique, the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the death of Marilyn Monroe. Archives
May 2011
Categories
All
|